Page 5 of Secrets in the Stacks

He listened for a bit, then said his goodbyes and hung up. “She’s home. Upset, but home. What happened?”

“I’ll tell him.” Rarity glanced at the two women, who were now heading into town. “What are you doing tonight, Drew?”

“I’m heading home and watching a game. I’d open a beer, but who knows if I’m going to get called back in tonight. I hate festival weekends. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He started walking in the direction of the police station. “Hey, tell Sam I missed her tonight.”

“Oh, no. I’m not getting into that game. You call and tell her yourself.” She pointed a finger at Drew, but he just laughed and walked away. “Why does it feel like I’m back in high school?”

“Passing notes in study hall?” Archer held out his arm, and they started walking down the street toward her house. “We could try to grab dinner at one of the restaurants if you don’t want to cook.”

“That’s okay. Those places are going to be packed. Besides, we’d have to take Killer home, then come back. It’s not worth it. I’ve got steak and fish in the fridge. I was hoping I’d see you either tonight or tomorrow for dinner.”

He leaned down and kissed her. “What if you see me both nights? Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not unless you start demanding I do your laundry or worship the Arizona snake god or something weird.” She leaned her head on his arm as they walked. This was nice.

“Should I be worried that you lumped a normal thing like laundry in with a mythical snake god?” Archer paused to look at her.

“Who says she’s mythical?”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Across the street, a man called out, holding up his hand to get their attention.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Terrance Oldman, Rarity’s closest neighbor, hurried across the street to meet them.

“I hope nothing’s wrong,” Rarity said to Archer as she waited for Terrance to come closer. When he came closer, she noticed he wore his jeans and a dress shirt under his leather jacket. “What’s going on?”

Terrance took a deep breath before he answered. The jog across the street had made him out of breath. “You’ve had a package on your porch all day long. I’ve been watching it for you, but I’m supposed to meet some guys down at the pub tonight, so I can’t wait any longer. Are you headed home?”

She nodded. “Straight there. I’m sorry you felt like you had to watch out for me all day.”

“I tried to call the bookstore, but then I realized that you were probably at the festival. So I just set up camp on my porch so I could see if anyone bothered it.” He nodded to Archer. “Nice to see you again.”

“Good evening, Terrance.” He nodded, and Killer barked his own welcome.

“Well, there you are, little guy. I was worried about you, too. I didn’t hear any barking today. Typically, when you leave him home, he barks.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Rarity had been worried about Killer barking when he was alone. “I’ll try to take him more.”

“It’s fine. He only barks when he hears the delivery truck or the mailman. He really hates the trash men when they pick up on Fridays.” He smiled down at the dog. “Anyway, I better get going, and you better get home before someone does take that package, knowing I’ve left my post.”

“Thanks, Terrance,” Rarity called after the older man as he hurried past them and toward The Corner Bar. Which was really a bar located on the corner of Main Street and Second. Rarity thought the owners must not have felt very creative the day they named it.

After Terrance was out of earshot, Archer leaned down. “Your neighborhood watch is a little extreme. Have you had problems with things getting stolen?”

“Not at all. He just likes things a certain way. If there’s a box on my porch, it needs to be picked up before someone steals it. He’s very concerned about safety.” Rarity stopped at the mailbox and took out her mail. “No one stole my bills. Darn it.”

“They probably have enough of their own.” He held out his hand. “I’ll unlock the door, then come back out for the box.”

“It might not be heavy.” She held her keys out of his reach, but he just stared at her. “Fine, play the knight in shining armor. But if it’s ticking, put it back out in the front yard. I don’t want a bomb to take out my living room.”

He retrieved the box and handed it to her. “It’s light.” He stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “What do you have to go with that steak? I think it’s warm enough for you to get in a swim while I start dinner. I’ll grill the meat and fish.”

“I think there’s some veggies we can cut up and grill too. Is that enough? I’ve got some fresh French bread we can add to the table.” She set the box on the table and moved toward the bedroom. “And I’m taking you up on the offer to cook. I’m swimming.”

“This won’t take long. I’ll cut up the veggies and then season everything. How do you feel about garlic bread?” He held up the wrapped loaf.

“I love it.” She hurried and changed. Once outside, she slipped into her pool and got lost, counting her laps.

When she finished, she noticed a towel laid out for her on a chair. Archer sat at the deck table with a beer, watching her.

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